The union representatives – Swiss army knife and glue in a wonderful mix

"They are the Swiss army knife and glue that makes it all come together," says president Kasper Skovgaard Pedersen about the many working environment, union and joint union representatives – collectively known as union representatives, who fortunately are on the sites all over Nordea. There are so many small things in everyday life that the union representatives solve through their knowledge of the organization, the members and the management. I am not at all sure that members and management always discover that the union representative has been at stake – but without her/him, many things could have ended in a major deadlock or conflict. So we owe them a huge thank you."

More replacements in the pack

At the time of writing, the last elections for union representatives (TR) for 2026 and 2027 are falling into place. The total number seems to be more or less in line with the status quo, but a number of new faces have been added, and union representatives have also been elected in places that previously did not have one. And there is reason to be happy about this, according to vice president Mette Balck Mejlby:

"It is important that members have a confidant in their daily lives who knows about their everyday lives, experiences and concerns. This means that many things can be addressed before they grow large – and in many cases, the right solution is best found between the locals who know the conditions. A well-trained TR is a bit like a Swiss army knife – with many tricks that can be used. So we all owe a huge thank you to those of our colleagues who throw their commitment into making everyday life better in all corners of Nordea Denmark."

The glue and the amount give a bigger muscle

But it is not only locally that the members benefit from the union representatives. Because they are also the local eyes who can bring topics and ideas to us if the challenge lies elsewhere and/or is too big to be solved on site. 

"We are very dependent on the union representatives in relation to having our finger on the pulse. By its very nature, it is impossible for the 9 of us in the board to be all over the place – but when the organization is 'glued together' by so many union representatives, we still feel confident that we go to the management with the right issues," Mette continues.

Unfortunately, however, there are still areas in Nordea where there are no members who have signed up under the banner as TR. "So at the moment, we are working on a wide range of alternative methods to increase interest in the post – and it seems to be working. It's great, because that way we make our overall muscle even stronger, and that's always needed," says Kasper.

The Senior Union Representative (FTR) – the common voice from the area

In each of the electoral areas we have agreed with Nordea, an FTR can be elected. 

"Fortunately, we have succeeded in most places, but we also have a few areas where none of the TRs have the time, desire and courage for the slightly larger task of being the common mouthpiece. Of course, we always hope for full coverage – and in return promise a really meaningful task, where you also get a little closer to what the board is dealing with. We put a lot of emphasis on reversing our priorities with the FTRs, and the input we get from them means a lot. So it's definitely something we want to continue with – while also having respect for each other's roles and the time we have to perform them," says Kasper.

AI – strategic, ethical and practical

In November, FiN invited all union representatives to a two-day seminar focusing on AI and our mutual cooperation.

"It was a couple of intense and very exciting days. We worked with AI from many angles – from the strategic to the data ethics and to the practical aspects of what you can use AI for as a union representative. It was fantastic to experience how everyone found the topic relevant and threw themselves into it – and we can also see from the evaluations that there was great satisfaction in being allowed to 'geek out'," says Mette.

Clarity of expectations

What does it require of us when the cooperation between all of us who are elected (TR, FTR, AMR and the board) is to be close and trusting? This question was also asked at the seminar in November. 

"We chose to zoom in completely and talk about how we can create results together. It is a joint task to look after the members' interests in Nordea and Finansforbundet – so what exactly is it that the union representatives need more of from the board to be able to help the members – and what can the board ask for in return?" asks Mette, who talks about many really exciting conversations in the individual groups.

"And we're not done at all – the talk continues. The purpose is a common understanding of each other's positions and tasks, and not least a clarity of what we can allow ourselves to expect from each other," Mette concludes.